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<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">
<a name="howto-gobject-construction"></a>Object Construction</h2></div></div></div>
<p>
      People often get confused when trying to construct their GObjects because of the
      sheer number of different ways to hook into the objects's construction process: it is
      difficult to figure which is the <span class="emphasis"><em>correct</em></span>, recommended way.
    </p>
<p>
      <a class="xref" href="chapter-gobject.html#gobject-construction-table" title="Table 4. g_object_new">Table 4, “g_object_new”</a> shows what user-provided functions
      are invoked during object instantiation and in which order they are invoked.
      A user looking for the equivalent of the simple C++ constructor function should use
      the instance_init method. It will be invoked after all the parent's instance_init
      functions have been invoked. It cannot take arbitrary construction parameters 
      (as in C++) but if your object needs arbitrary parameters to complete initialization,
      you can use construction properties.
    </p>
<p>
      Construction properties will be set only after all instance_init functions have run.
      No object reference will be returned to the client of <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code>
      until all the construction properties have been set.
    </p>
<p>
      As such, I would recommend writing the following code first:
</p>
<pre class="programlisting">
static void
maman_bar_init (MamanBar *self)
{
  self-&gt;priv = MAMAN_BAR_GET_PRIVATE (self); 

  /* initialize all public and private members to reasonable default values. */

  /* If you need specific construction properties to complete initialization,
   * delay initialization completion until the property is set. 
   */
}
</pre>
<p>
    </p>
<p>
      Now, if you need special construction properties, install the properties in the class_init function,
      override the set and get methods and implement the get and set methods as described in 
      <a class="xref" href="gobject-properties.html" title="Object properties">the section called “Object properties”</a>. Make sure that these properties use a construct only 
      <a class="link" href="gobject-GParamSpec.html#GParamSpec" title="struct GParamSpec"><span class="type">GParamSpec</span></a> by setting the param spec's flag field to G_PARAM_CONSTRUCT_ONLY: this helps
      GType ensure that these properties are not set again later by malicious user code.
</p>
<div class="informalexample">
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        <td class="listing_code"><pre class="programlisting"><span class="keyword">enum</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="cbracket">{</span>
<span class="normal">  PROP_0</span><span class="symbol">,</span>

<span class="normal">  PROP_MAMAN</span><span class="symbol">,</span>

<span class="normal">  N_PROPERTIES</span>
<span class="cbracket">}</span><span class="symbol">;</span>

<span class="keyword">static</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="usertype">GParamSpec</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">obj_properties</span><span class="symbol">[</span><span class="normal">N_PROPERTIES</span><span class="symbol">]</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">=</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="cbracket">{</span><span class="normal"> <a href="./../glib/glib/glib-Standard-Macros.html#NULL:CAPS">NULL</a></span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="cbracket">}</span><span class="symbol">;</span>

<span class="keyword">static</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="type">void</span>
<span class="function">bar_class_init</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="usertype">MamanBarClass</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">klass</span><span class="symbol">)</span>
<span class="cbracket">{</span>
<span class="normal">  </span><span class="usertype">GObjectClass</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">gobject_class </span><span class="symbol">=</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="function"><a href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#G-OBJECT-CLASS:CAPS">G_OBJECT_CLASS</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">klass</span><span class="symbol">);</span>

<span class="normal">  gobject_class</span><span class="symbol">-&gt;</span><span class="normal">set_property </span><span class="symbol">=</span><span class="normal"> bar_set_property</span><span class="symbol">;</span>
<span class="normal">  gobject_class</span><span class="symbol">-&gt;</span><span class="normal">get_property </span><span class="symbol">=</span><span class="normal"> bar_get_property</span><span class="symbol">;</span>

<span class="normal">  obj_properties</span><span class="symbol">[</span><span class="normal">PROP_MAMAN</span><span class="symbol">]</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">=</span>
<span class="normal">    </span><span class="function"><a href="gobject-Standard-Parameter-and-Value-Types.html#g-param-spec-string">g_param_spec_string</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="string">"maman"</span><span class="symbol">,</span>
<span class="normal">                         </span><span class="string">"Maman construct prop"</span><span class="symbol">,</span>
<span class="normal">                         </span><span class="string">"Set maman's name"</span><span class="symbol">,</span>
<span class="normal">                         </span><span class="string">"no-name-set"</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="comment">/* default value */</span><span class="symbol">,</span>
<span class="normal">                         <a href="gobject-GParamSpec.html#G-PARAM-CONSTRUCT-ONLY:CAPS">G_PARAM_CONSTRUCT_ONLY</a> </span><span class="symbol">|</span><span class="normal"> <a href="gobject-GParamSpec.html#G-PARAM-READWRITE:CAPS">G_PARAM_READWRITE</a></span><span class="symbol">);</span>

<span class="normal">  </span><span class="function"><a href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-class-install-properties">g_object_class_install_properties</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">gobject_class</span><span class="symbol">,</span>
<span class="normal">                                     N_PROPERTIES</span><span class="symbol">,</span>
<span class="normal">                                     obj_properties</span><span class="symbol">);</span>
<span class="cbracket">}</span></pre></td>
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    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

<p>
      If you need this, make sure you can build and run code similar to the code shown above. Make sure
      your construct properties can set correctly during construction, make sure you cannot set them 
      afterwards and make sure that if your users do not call <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code>
      with the required construction properties, these will be initialized with the default values.
    </p>
<p>
      I consider good taste to halt program execution if a construction property is set its
      default value. This allows you to catch client code which does not give a reasonable
      value to the construction properties. Of course, you are free to disagree but you
      should have a good reason to do so.
    </p>
<p>
      Some people sometimes need to construct their object but only after
      the construction properties have been set. This is possible through
      the use of the constructor class method as described in
      <a class="xref" href="chapter-gobject.html#gobject-instantiation" title="Object instantiation">the section called “Object instantiation”</a> or, more simply, using
      the constructed class method available since GLib 2.12.
    </p>
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